Varistor characteristics in PTCR-type (Ba,Sr)TiO3 ceramics prepared by single-step firing in air

This paper deals with donor, acceptor-codoped (Ba_0.4Sr_.6)TiO₃ ceramics with distinct varistor characteristics at room temperature, which were prepared by single-step firing in air. The materials, with the Curie point at around –90 °C, exhibited a large PTCR (positive temperature coefficient of resistivity) effect of more than seven orders of magnitude in the temperature range –90 °C (the resistivity 10³ · cm) to room temperature ( > 10¹⁰ · cm). An apparent dielectric constant of >20000 and tan < 0.05 (at 100 kHz) were observed for the present materials at room temperature, and moreover, the materials exhibited nonlinear current-voltage characteristics with the nonlinear coefficient, , in the range 7–12 and the varistor field, E_v, in the range 0.3–1.0 kV/cm. The value of in the present materials increased systematically with increasing in their PTCR temperature range. It has been found that there exists a close correlation between and the grain-boundary potential barrier height, e, obtained from the -T characteristic of the materials. An almost linear relationship was also found to exist between and log E_v for the present materials.     

Similarity solutions in axisymmetric mixed-convection boundary-layer flow

The similarity equations for mixed-convection axisymmetric boundary-layer flow are considered. The equations involve a buoyancy parameter and a curvature parameter . The equations are solved numerically and it is found that for large , and of O(1), an asymptotic solution is approached, the nature of which is discussed. When is also large, of O(^1/4), the problem, at leading order, becomes independent of the mainstream and the free-convection limit is obtained. This problem is also discussed, including the behaviour for large values of ₀, the free-convection curvature parameter. For < 0 we find that the solution can be continued past the point where the wall heat transfer becomes zero (where previous mixed-convection similarity solutions in plane geometry were terminated) with the solution ending as 0^–. The nature of this limit is also discussed. For < 0 it is also found that there are solutions only in _b = < 0 with two branches of solution bifurcating out of = _b , and values of _b are computed for a range of . The behaviour of the solution for large values of the curvature parameter , and of O(1), is discussed where it is shown that the solution proceeds in inverse powers of log .     

Specific analysis of EBSD data to study the texture inheritance due to the β → α phase transformation

A specific processing of EBSD data is proposed to study the texture inheritance of titanium or zirconium alloys. A non standard misorientation map is calculated to localise the colonies inherited from the same parent grain. The calculation of the parent orientation from its inherited variants detailed in previous works has been adapted to the data obtained from an automated EBSD analysis. Finally, a method to derive the orientation map of the parent phase from that of the inherited phase is proposed. The resulting and COMs are used to study some aspects of the variant selection occurring in the transformation of a T40 sample.     

Investigations of the copper isotope effect in oxygen-deficient YBa2Cu3O7−δ

We present data on the copper isotope effect (⁶³Cu-⁶⁵Cu), C_u =-nT_c/nm_Cu, for two isotopic pairs of oxygen-deficient YBa₂Cu₃O_7–, where varies between 0.06 and 0.52. _Cu is below 0.01 at =0.06 (fully oxygenated), it takes values between –0.14 and –0.34 in the 60 K plateau. Larger negative values of _Cu are observed away from the plateau. The dependence of _Cu is similar to that of the pressure effect dnT_c/dP.     

Preferentially orientated precipitation in MnTiO3 single crystals

Preferentially orientated precipitation of -TiO₂ (rutile) needles in single crystals of MnTiO₃ grown by a floating-zone method under a controlled atmosphere of oxygen fugacity was studied. Optical microscopy and X-ray analysis revealed that the orientation relation between the -TiO₂ precipitates and the MnTiO₂ matrix is: {000 1}MnTiO₃// {111}-TiO₂ and 11¯20MnTiO₃// 110-TiO₂. The precipitation phenomenon was explained by introducing a nucleation and growth mechanism which was experimentally supported by heat treating experiments.     

Methanation of carbon deposited directly from CO2 on rhodium-bearing activated magnetite

Methanation reactivity was studied for the surface carbon deposited from CO₂ on the surface of Rh-bearing activated magnetite. The most active material (Rh=0.83 wt %) for methanation was prepared by the impregnation method at 60°C and showed 98% conversion at 300°C. The surface carbon was composed of elemental carbon (-carbon) and polymerized carbon (-carbon), the proportion being dependent on the density of carbon deposited. In temperature-programmed surface reaction, the extent of conversion of the - and -carbon to CH₄ was 0.34 (-carbon) and 0.53 (-carbon), respectively, and the total conversion was 0.87. This result indicates that not only elemental carbon but polymerized carbon (-carbon) could be converted to CH₄ on the Rh-bearing activated (-carbon) magnetite, whereas -carbon is not hydrogenated on activated magnetite.     

The evaporation signal from α particles stopped in superfluid helium

Alpha particles stopped in a 3 liter volume of liquid helium at 30 mK are observed by the calorimetric detection of helium atoms evaporated from the free surface of the liquid. Quantum evaporation of the helium is produced by the rotons that are created by the particle. While the energy spectrum of the 5.5 MeV 's from the²⁴¹Am source has a width of less than 0.5%, the energy distribution of the observed evaporation signals extends from the low energy threshold of several keV up to a maximum of several 100 keV, depending on geometrical factors and the collection area of the calorimeter. The origin of the observed distribution may result in part from the presence of the substrate and a dependence on the direction of the track of the particle. A simple model of the generation of rotons by the particle will be discussed.     

Die Herleitung von Schalengleichungen über ein erweitertes Variationsprinzip bei Berücksichtigung der Querschubverzerrungen

Ohne ZusammenfassungBezeichnungen L Bezugsgrößen für dimensionslose Koordinaten - L charakteristische Schalenabmessung - t Schalendicke - Schalenparameter - körperfeste, krummlinige, dimensionslose Koordinaten der Schalenmittelfläche - Dimensionslose Koordinate in Richtung der Schalennormalen - i, j,...=1,2,3 Indizierung des dreidimensionalen Euklidischen Raumes - ,,...=1,2 Indizierung des zweidimensionalen Riemannschen Raumes - (...), Partielle Differentiation nach der Koordinate - (...), Kovariante Differentiation für Tensorkomponenten des zweidimensionalen Raumes nach der Koordinate - (...)| Kovariante Differentiation für Tensorkomponenten des dreidimensionalen Raumes nach der Koordinate - Variationssymbol - a ,a ₃ Basisvektoren der Schalenmittelfläche - V Verschiebungsvektor - U ,U ₃ Verschiebungskomponenten des Schalenraumes - v ,w,w ,W Verschiebungskomponenten der Schalenmittelfläche - Verhältnis der Metriktensoren des Schalenraumes und der Schalenmittelfläche - _ik Verzerrungstensor des Raumes - _{(, )}, Symmetrische Verzerrungstensoren der Schalenmittelfläche - _{[, ]} Antimetrischer Term des Verzerrungsmaßes - ^, Spannungstensor - n ,m ,q Tensorkomponenten der Schnittgrößenvektoren - p ,p,c Tensorielle Lastkomponenten     

The crystal growth and thermoelectric properties of chromium disilicide

Single crystals of chromium disilicide about 8 mm in diameter and 35 mm long were grown using the floating zone technique. Measurements of electrical resistivity , Hall coefficient R and thermoelectric power were carried out in the temperature range from 85 to 1100 K. The values of and showed the anisotropy over the temperature range studied. The ratios parallel and perpendicular to the c-axis were / =1.9 and /=1.7 respectively, at room temperature. It was found to be a degenerate semiconductor having the hole concentration of 6.3×10²⁰ cm^–3 below 600 K. The effective masses of holes parallel and perpendicular to the c-axis determined from the thermoelectric power and the hole concentration near room temperature were estimated to be five and three times as large as a free electron mass, respectively. The calculation on the values of and was made using those effective masses. These values showed good agreement with the observed values in the temperature range from 150 to 1100 K.     

Direct and inverse heat-conduction problems for a semiinfinite rod for a partial outflow of heat through the surface

Analytical solutions of the direct and inverse problems of nonstationary heat conduction in a thin semiinfinite rod are given for the case of radiative heat fluxes at the lateral surfaces and a partial outflow of heat by convection and radiation through the end of the rod.Notation thermal diffusivity - x₁ coordinate along the length of the rod - t₁ time - t=t₁/d² dimensionless time (Fourier number) - x=X₁/d relative coordinate - T_o initial temperature - Boltzmann constant - Sk=aT_c ³d/ Stark number - Bi=d/ reduced Biot number - emissivity Translated from Inzhenero-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 148–153, July, 1984.     

The athermal α → ω transformation in Zr-2 at% Nb alloy

The athermal transformation in Zr-2 at.% Nb alloy has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Analysis of the selected-area diffraction pattern has shown that the orientation relationships between the omega and the parent-phase in quenched Zr-2 at.% Nb alloy are the same as have been previously observed for the reaction in pure zirconium. Thus it was deduced that the direct transition has taken place in the alloy during cooling. The-originated -particles were visualized using the dark-field technique. The formation of the athermal omega in the-region of-stabilized Zr-Nb alloy is discussed in terms of the relative positions of the free energy equilibrium curvesT ₀ ,T ₀ ,T ₀ and the correspondingM _s ,M _s andT _s start curves. It is concluded that the omega phase can occur over a much wider range of alloy compositions than is usually recognized on the basis of transformation data.     

Spectroscopic characterization of passivated titanium in a physiologic solution

Titanium (Ti) has been used for many biomedical applications. Surface characteristics of titanium devices are critical to their success. In this study, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to analyse Ti surfaces prior to immersion in alpha-modification of Eagle's medium (-MEM). The ionic constituents deposited onto Ti surfaces after in vitro exposure to -MEM were investigated using XPS and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Surface studies revealed an amorphous oxide layer on the Ti surface, with a chemistry similar to TiO₂. However, after exposure to the physiologic solution for 12 days, dynamic changes in surface chemistry were observed. Ions such as phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) were increasingly deposited as amorphous fine crystalline calcium-phosphate (Ca–P) compounds, having a Ca/P ratio of 1.2 and a chemistry similar to brushite.     

Solution of thermal conductivity problems with boundary condition of the third kind and arbitrary coordinate and time dependence of the biot number

An analytical solution of the thermal conductivity problem with boundary conditions of the third kind and arbitrary coordinate and time dependence of the Biot number is found in the form of a converging series of quadratures.Notation , z dimensionless coordinates - dimensionless temperature - Q dimensionless volume heat-liberation density per unit time - Fo=/² Fourier number - Bi₁(, Fo)=(, Fo) · / Biot number - thermal diffusivity coefficient - plate thickness - time - (, Fo) heat-liberation coefficient - thermal conductivity coefficient - i summation index - Jo zero order Bessel function of the first kind Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 536–540, September, 1981.     

Ultrasonic attenuation of longitudinal and shear waves in superconducting lead

Longitudinal and shear wave ultrasonic attenuations have been measured in high-purity Pb on two single crystals obtained from the same ingot. The measurements were done at low temperatures, at different frequencies, and in transverse magnetic fields, up to a field of 7.3 kG. The propagation directions in the two crystals were along [100] and [110]. For some propagation and polarization directions the _s / _n ratio is found to be frequency-independent, while for others, large divergences in the _s / _n ratios at different frequencies are observed. A sharp decrease of _s / _n nearT _c is observed for a particular longitudinal wave propagation, but not in any shear wave propagation. In some cases _s / _n is found to be abnormally high and this feature is associated with a peak in attenuation _n and a relatively high _n at 7.2 K. None of the _s / _n curves fits closely to any BCS energy gap. For longitudinal waves the high magnetic field (H) dependence of the normal state attenuation was found to agree qualitatively with the free electron theory for propagation along [100], but not for propagation along [110]. For shear waves the high-field attenuations do not extrapolate to zero asH tends to infinity. For all propagation and polarization directions the high-field attenuations show 1/H ² field dependence.     

Experimental evaluation of relative mode parameters in the irregular earth-to-ionosphere waveguide

Conclusions A model for representing the propagation of superlong waves was selected. Certain relative mode parameters ()₁, ()₂, ()₃, (V)₁, (V)₂, (V)₃, C₁, C₂, and C₃ can be used in order to account for the time-measurement error produced as a resuit of the double-mode signal propagation, to determine in a semiempirical manner the ionosphere's effective reflection height at night and in the daytime, to calculate and apply signal-propagation corrections which take into account phase velocity changes due to variations in the ionosphere height from day to day, and to calculate the fields of transition paths.Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 8, pp. 75–78, August, 1974.     

Microstructure and crack sensitivity of laser-fusion zones of Ti-46 mol % Al-2 mol % Mo alloy

Laser surface melting and laser welding were performed on Ti-46 mol % Al-2 mol % Mo using a 2.5 kW CO₂ laser. Microstructures of the fusion zones were changed in the following way as the cooling rate increased: massive ₂+massive +lamellar(₂+) massive ₂+massive ₂. In laser surface melting, a single-phase structure of ₂ was seen when the calculated average cooling rates between 1773 and 1273 K were above approximately 4000 Ks^–1. In laser welding, the microstructure of the fusion zones was mainly composed of massive ₂+massive +lamellar. The hardness of the fusion zones increased with increasing cooling rate and the single-phase structure of ₂ showed hardness above 500 Hv. While all of the laser surface-melted zones included cracking, in laser welding, crack-free welds could be obtained at traverse speeds below 50.0 mm s^–1 and pre-heating temperatures above 573 K. As a result, cracking was prevented by selecting optimum welding parameters which result in calculated cooling rates between 1073 and 873 K below approximately 30 Ks^–1 and the hardness of the fusion zones below approximately 400 Hv. In tensile tests, the laser-welded specimens without weld cracking fractured in the base metal. Thus, laser welding can be applied to the joining of Ti-46 mol % Al-2 mol % Mo.     

Isoconversion method for kinetic analysis of solid-state reactions from dynamic thermoanalytical data

The activation energy for a heterogeneous reaction involving a solid may be obtained from a plot of ₀ ln(d/dt) d against ₀(1/T) d, where represents the fractional conversion of the solid reactant, and T(t) is the (time-dependent) reactant temperature. This new approach to the analysis of dynamic thermoanalytical kinetic data has distinct advantages over existing methods, as it needs to make no assumption about the kinetic model, involves no approximation to the temperature integral, and is easy to implement on the computer.     

Martensitic transformations in Ti-Mo alloys

A detailed investigation has been made of the structure of alloys of the Ti-Mo system containing up to 10wt% Mo, water-quenched from the-phase region. With increase in molybdenum content, the martensite structure changes from hexagonal () to orthorhombic () at 4 wt% Mo, and at 10 wt% Mo, the structure is completely retained . For alloy compositions <4 wt% Mo, there is a diffusional component in the transformation of the -phase at the quench rates employed. There is a transition, with increase in molybdenum content, in morphology (from massive to acicular) and in substructure (from dislocations to twins). However, the transitions in crystallography, morphology and sub-structure are not directly related to one another except for an abrupt loss of dislocation substructure at the/ transition. The to crystallographic transition has the characteristics of a second order transformation, and evidence has been obtained of the existence of a spinodal within the metastable orthorhombic system. The orthorhombic martensites of Ti-6 and 8 wt% Mo decompose during quenching producing a fine modulated structure within the martensite plates, consistent with a proposed spinodal mode of decomposition.     

Sinterability,strength and oxidation of alpha silicon carbide powders

Pressureless sintering of commercially available -SiC powders was investigated at temperatures between 1900 and 2150° C for times of 10 to 240 min under one atmosphere of argon pressure. Alpha-SiC powder containing boron and carbon sintering aids was sinterable at 2150° C for a period of 30 min to a high final density greater than 96 per cent of theoretical. In contrast, a final density only about 80 per cent of theoretical was achieved in -SiC powder containing aluminium and carbon sintering aids. Room temperature and high temperature (1370° C) flexure strength and oxidation resistance were determined on sintered high density (>96% of theoretical) -SiC (boron, carbon) material. Both the strength and the oxidation resistance were found to be equivalent and comparable to those of Carborundum Company sintered -SiC, which is representative of the current state-of-the-art material.